Q. How do ebooks work?

SEARCHING FOR EBOOKS

WorldCat Discovery is your best bet when it comes to finding ebooks. Type in the title and then limit your search to ebook using the Format limiters on the left.

If Butler has access to the ebook, it will show that the item is held by Butler University Libraries and give you a link to access the text.

You could also browse within our ebook databases.

Important note: some of our ebooks are a part of our Demand Driven Acquisitions (DDA) collection. Books in this collection are listed as "held by Butler Libraries", but technically we do not yet own them; you must use your Butler login to access the title to supply the demand and begin the acquisition process. Those without a current Butler login will not be able to access these ebooks. Your login triggers a preview period. After that period has passed, either a short term rental or a mediated purchase will be available, based on publisher restrictions. Mediated purchases will be approved during M-F business hours. 

EBOOKS NOT OWNED BY BUTLER

Because WorldCat Discovery is a shared catalog, it includes records for items not held by Butler. We include these because they often can be obtained via interlibrary loan. However, most ebook publishers will not allow for sharing in this way. If we don't have access to a title you desire, you can request the interlibrary loan for a physical copy, or speak with your liaison librarian to discuss other options. 

USING OUR EBOOKS

We purchase ebooks from a large number of publishers and platforms, so there is a lot of variance in process and appearance when it comes to access our ebooks. We suggest trying the options to read in browser or online whenever possible. We also suggest exploring options for downloading/printing/saving chapters of ebooks, as these can often be done without downloading any special software. A lot of information is housed in our All About eBooks LibGuide. 

If you are a faculty member and would like to use an ebook for your class, please be in touch with your liaison librarian. They can make sure that the ebook is owned by the Libraries and will have user setting to allow for the use your students need.